The healing status of the ACL as visualised on MRI following acute ACL rupture managed with rehabilitation±delayed ACLR
| ACLOAS ACL grade | Rehabilitation alone at 5-year follow-up (n=28) | Initial rehabilitation plus delayed-ACLR before 5-year follow-up (n=30) | ||||||||
| 3 months | 6 months | 1 year | 2 years | 5 years | 3 months | 6 months | 1 year | 2 years | 5 years | |
| 0 | 0 (0) | 2 (17) | 5 (38) | 7 (28) | 8 (33) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 1 (3.5) | – |
| 1 | 8 (57) | 4 (33) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 1 (7) | 1 (7) | 1 (7) | 0 (0) | – |
| 2 | 2 (14) | 3 (25) | 5 (38) | 7 (28) | 6 (25) | 0 (0) | 2 (14) | 2 (13) | 1 (3.5) | – |
| 3 | 4 (29) | 3 (25) | 3 (23) | 11 (44) | 10 (42) | 13 (93) | 10 (71) | 7 (47) | 3 (10) | – |
| Delayed ACLR | – | – | – | – | – | 0 (0) | 1 (7) | 5 (33) | 24 (83) | 30 (100) |
| Missing MRI | 14* | 16* | 15* | 3 | 4 | 16* | 16* | 15* | 1 | 0 |
Numbers are n (column %, excluding missing data).
Data represent count (% of participants with complete MRI data); 0=normal, 1=thickened/high signal but normal course, 2=thinned or elongated but continuous, 3=absent/discontinuity; delayed-ACLR=underwent ACL reconstruction before follow-up (no native ACL to be assessed by MRI)
*Only the first 63 patients enrolled into the study were invited to undergo an MRI at 3-month, 6-month and 12-month follow-up, whereas all participants were invited for MRI at 2-year and 5-year follow-up.
ACL, anterior cruciate ligament; ACLOAS, Anterior-Cruciate-Ligament-OsteoArthritis-Score; ACLR, ACL reconstruction.